Yukiko Nakashima
(b. 1972)

​Artist Statement

 

My abstract paintings serve as narratives that delve into accumulated psychological matters and the archives of remedial mark-making processes. Rooted in my perception of the world, they draw inspiration from everyday events - liminal spaces, fading childhood memories, immigration, and the familiar contours of my hometown, Hiroshima. In my creative process, I strive to capture elusive emotions - the sincere and nameless feelings that evade easy expression. Brush strokes reminiscent of broken Japanese calligraphy merge with smudged western impasto, creating a visual language that transcends cultural boundaries. These strokes become “matters,” floating, evolving, and dripping as an exploration of our shared human psyche. Amidst societal struggles for inclusivity and acceptance, I aim to depict psychological transitions and ambiguity. Through abstract marks, I encourage viewers to embrace differences and celebrate diversity. As an artist, I believe it is our duty to illuminate suppressed emotions and ideas, transforming them into a universal visual dialogue - one that stirs empathy, imagination, and introspection. My intention is to create an image that resonates on multiple levels to trigger deliberate thought processing and introspection. 

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Co-Founder of AAI (Arts Action Initiative) www.yukikonakashima.com

Instagram: @yukikoptg

 

Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions:

2024     Arts on Paper NY, through Metropolitan Arts Atelier at Pier 36, New York, NY

Prelinguistics, Dada Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Where We Are, Li Tang Gallery, online exhibition, New York, NY ​

2023     Echoes of Home, RIVAA Gallery, New York, NY

Abstract, Distortion & Fragmentation, Li Tang Gallery, online exhibition, New York, NY

A Selection of Abstraction, James Baird Gallery, Pouch Cove, NL, Canada Invisible Room, Fairleigh Dickinson University Gallery, Teaneck, NJ Invisible Room, ACC Gallery, Tenafly, NJ​

2022     Residency Artists Summer 2022, Pouch Cove Foundation, Pouch Cove, NL, Canada​

2021     Almost Endless, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Altoona, PA

Mono, Mi-Sul, online exhibition, Brooklyn, NY 2020      Emotionally Coded, The Clemente, New York, NY​

2018-2019        Artist Co-Op, 2018, Miller Gallery, JCAL Arts Center, Jamaica, NY

2018    Basement Town- Represented Artist, Brooklyn, NY​

2017-2018        Making Connections, Citi Deford Gallery, Long Island City, NY

2017         Making Connections, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY​

2016     Deeper and Closer, Fairleigh Dickinson University Art Gallery, Teaneck, NJ 2012  Sculpting Outside the Line, Foggy Bottom Arts Center, Washington, D.C.

2010 Simultaneous Presence, Evergreen Museum & Library, Baltimore, MD

Heed the Machine, St. Cecilia Convent, Brooklyn, NY

Lucid Directions, Richmond Center for Visual Arts, Kalamazoo, MI

2009  New Tales for Our Age, The Visual Arts Center, Summit, NJ

Fieza Projects, London, England (participation to Brina Thurston's project)

Remarked Unknown, Subdivision art, Long Island City, NY

2008  Trading Places, Canco Lofts, Jersey City, NJ

Show and Tel,l hpgrp Gallery , New York, NY

2007          BABOOM!!!, Red Saw Gallery, Newark, NJ

Momenta Project, White Column, New York, NY

2007 Benefit Raffle, Momenta Art, Brooklyn, NY Shame, Red Saw Gallery, Newark, NJ

2006  Keeping It Real, The Garage, Jersey City, NJ

Cooper Union Summer Residency Exhibition, Cooper Union, New York, NY

Works on Paper, LBI Foundation, Loveladies, NJ

Connections, Studio Montclair, Montclair NJ

Go Figure, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD

On the Border of Realism, MPG Contemporary, Boston, MA

2005     Receiver Series 2 (performance), Gallery 58, Jersey City, NJ Tremor II (performance), City Without Walls, Newark, NJ Rural…Urban…&…Otherwise, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ

2004     Limit Edge Boundary Asymptote, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ 2003   Body Speech, Seven Degrees Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA

D.U.M.B.O. Under the Bridge Festival, DUMBO Art Center, Brooklyn, NY

Ten Performances, Five Myles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Message from Body IV, Pepper’s Loft Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

 

Reviews:

“Madness.” OyeDrum Vol. 5, New York, NY Spring/Summer, 2022

“Fortress.” Vellum Magazine no. 26, New York, NY May 12, 2022

“no. 43 Artist Interviews. ” Art Reveal Magazine London November 10, 2018 “At Baltimore’s Evergreen estate, outdoor sculpture exhibit is surprising.” The Washington Post May 14, 2010. Going Out Guide, Museum section.

“Sculpture at Evergreen 6: Simultaneous Presence.” BMOREART April 27, 2010.

“Visual Arts Center Premieres New Exhibit." Summit Patch September 12, 2009. Articles section.

“Garage art work is raw, real with mixed identities.” The Jersey Journal October 27, 2006. Art Review.

“National Show at Foundation, ‘Works of Art on Paper,’ Rips.” The Sandpaper July 12, 2006. section two.

“Connecting art and the everyday.” Star Ledger August 1, 2004. arts section.

 

Residencies:

2022     Pouch Cove Foundation Residency Program, Newfoundland, Canada

2006         The Cooper Union, New York, NY, Summer Residency Program

 

Curatorial:

2024 Where We Are, Li Tang Gallery, New York, NY

2020 Emotionally Coded, The Clemente, New York, NY

2004 Limit Edge Boundary Asymptote, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ

 

Artist’s Talk and Panel Discussion:

2024 Dada Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

2023 RIVAA Gallery, “Identity and Community”, New York, NY

2023 Fairleigh Dickinson University Art Gallery, Teaneck, NJ

2016 Fairleigh Dickinson University Art Gallery, Teaneck, NJ

 

Education:

2001 – 2003      The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick, NJ, M.F.A.

1995 – 2000      The City College of New York, CUNY, New York, NY, Department of Art, B.A.